


A Work of Art

by bazinga01



Category: The Bold Type
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 06:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12929313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bazinga01/pseuds/bazinga01
Summary: A short one-shot AU based off the prompt: "What if Kat and Adena had met when Kat was out and Adena wasn't in a relationship?"





	A Work of Art

**Author's Note:**

> I took "Kat was out" in this AU to mean that she's bi and has known she's bi and been open about it for a while~

“Remind me why we’re going to this art show thing, again?” Jane asks as they all turn the corner, approaching the Brooklyn gallery.

“’Cause Sutton’s hot hipster guy mentioned he’d be there.”

“Ok, can we please stop calling him hot hipster guy? He’s not  _that_  hipster, and his name is Brian.”

“But why exactly are  _we_  going?” Jane persists, gesturing between Kat and herself.

“So it doesn’t look like she’s going just for him. Sutton said she’d be there like she already had plans too,” Kat says with a laugh, nudging Sutton with her elbow.

“We’re not hipster Brooklyn people.”

“You are tonight!” Sutton says, flashing her best smile and Jane rolls her eyes while Kat keeps laughing. “Please? For me?” she adds to Jane.

“Bet there’s gonna be some artsy queer girls here. There always are at these things,” Kat muses out loud, and Sutton turns on her, eyes narrowed.

“I  _knew_  it! I knew there was a reason you agreed to this so quickly!”

“What? So I’m multitasking,” she shrugs. “I can find a hottie to take home and be your wingwoman at the same time. It’s a win-win, babe.”

Jane’s the one laughing now while Sutton rolls her eyes, and then they’re at the entrance to the gallery, walking up behind several other people also making their way in.

“What happened with you and that guy?” Jane asks. “What was his name?”

“Daryn,” Sutton supplies.

“Yeah, Daryn.”

“He started sending me good morning texts,” Kat says, leading the way towards the small pop-up bar stationed in the corner.

She knows that Sutton and Jane are sharing a look behind her but she ignores them, pulling her card out of her wallet.

“Yeah, hi, can I get a vodka cran, please?” she asks the bartender, and Sutton leans against the makeshift bar top beside her.

“Oh! There he is!” Sutton jumps, grasping her arm, and Jane turns her head around.

“Okay, so what do you want us to do?” Jane asks.

Brian looks up and there’s a clear moment where he and Sutton make eye contact before she looks away, back to the two of them.

“Wait for him to come to us,” Sutton says, conspiring, and Kat thanks the bartender for her drink.

“So what’s this show for?” Jane questions, looking around, and Kat follows suit.

It’s the first time since she walked in that she’s paid any attention to the art on the walls. The show must be for multiple artists, because the pieces are split up in different sections of the gallery and are very different from each other. Some are paintings, others photographs.

The pictures really catch her eye, even from a distance, because they’re striking portraits of people. She makes a mental note to maybe check them out more later, once they successfully run into Brian.

Brian finally comes over with a friend (who unsuccessfully tries to hit on Jane) about ten minutes later, and then Sutton is gone, chatting and walking with him around the gallery. She and Jane share a subtle fist bump, across their cocktail table, and that’s when she notices a girl with side-shaved hair and a septum piercing not so subtly glancing at the two of them.

Jane notices too after a moment, giving Kat a look, and she gives a small shake of her head in return.

“I can already smell that she doesn’t wear deodorant, so that’s gonna be a hard no from me,” she whispers, matter of fact, and Jane holds the back of her hand to her mouth to hide her laugh.  

A woman starts speaking from a microphone, diverting their attention, and thanks people for coming, explaining the show and introducing the artists.

“…and last, but certainly not least, Adena El-Amin.”

Several people cheer and clap as a woman wearing a flowy red top, hair wrapped and covered, smiles in acknowledgment at the crowd in the room and hugs the woman holding the mic.

Kat can tell even from her spot by the bar that the artist is beautiful, and she doesn’t even realize that her head is tilted, biting her lip and staring after her, until Jane elbows her.

“No way.”

“What?” she questions, feigning innocence.

“There’s no way you’re getting her to go home with you,” Jane says, and she scoffs.

“Is that a bet?” she answers, competitiveness kicking in, and Jane groans.

“What are the odds that she’s even into women?”

Kat watches Adena, the way she greets people, the way she interacts with the women around her, and she’s already getting some vibes.

“Mm, fifty percent, at least,” she hums, thoughtful.

“Wow, ok. Didn’t mean that as a literal question. How do you even…”

She sets her empty drink down on the high table, doesn’t let Jane finish her question before cutting in with—

“Wish me luck, tiny Jane.”

She walks away toward the artist before Jane can stop her.

She decides to go look at Adena’s art first, so she has something to talk about, something to open with. And it’s only after staring for several minutes at the gorgeous portraits of people from mosques throughout the city that she makes her way over to the photographer.

She’s exactly as pretty close-up as Kat thought she’d be, and there’s a brief moment of butterflies in her stomach. Because yeah, she’s good at this and she knows she’s hot, but this woman is gorgeous and apparently also talented as fuck. But Jane is gonna give her such a hard time if she doesn’t follow through after acting so confident, so there’s no backing down now.

“Hi,” she says, as soon as the person talking to Adena turns away. “I’m Kat,” she continues, extending her hand, and Adena reaches out to shake it. “Your photographs are so beautiful, I had to meet you.”

The artist smiles back with warm brown eyes, and her hand is soft against Kat’s before she drops it.

“Thank you, Kat. And thank you for coming over to introduce yourself. I always enjoy meeting new people at shows.”

“Of course,” she answers, giving her best relaxed smile. “And I love those earrings, they’re gorgeous on you.”

She sneaks in the initial compliment, subtly flirtatious enough that a straight girl wouldn’t think anything of it. But then Adena picks up on it, gives her a slow smile in response, blinking up at her, and  _bingo_.

Adena doesn’t blush though, doesn’t show any sign of bashfulness. Instead she just smiles, arms crossed against her chest when she surveys Kat with curiosity and answers—

“What brought you here tonight?”

“My friend’s trying to impress this guy she met on tinder, and I was her wingwoman,” she says, deciding for honesty, and Adena gives a surprised laugh. “Tell me more about this project,” Kat smiles, inclining her head towards Adena’s photographs.

She knows that artist types love to talk about their work, that it’s the best way to keep conversation going with Adena right now, and sure enough Adena’s face lights up, answering her.

Here’s the thing, though, that she doesn’t see coming—

Adena? Is actually an incredible person to listen to. And the more she talks about her work, answering Kat’s follow-up questions, the more she’s genuinely interested in it all.

Adena talks about both the love and the tension that she feels in places of worship, the conversations that led to these pictures, and Kat is absolutely enamored with her. The more that the conversation unfolds, the more unsure of herself she feels, like she’s been thrown off her game completely.

This wasn’t how this conversation was supposed to go.

“Listen, Kat, there are some other people here that I need to speak with, to thank,” Adena explains, and she wonders how long they’ve been talking. “But I would very much like to continue our conversation. Do you have time, after the show? It will probably be another hour or so before I’m finished. If not, I understand. I know it’s getting late.”

Kat smiles at her, more bashful than earlier, and nods.

“I’d like that. I’ll hang around, come find me when you’re ready.”

 

 

They end up at a late night café, a couple blocks down, and they’ve been talking for nearly forty-five minutes when Kat pauses, shaking her head.

“You know, I honestly had no idea we’d end up talking like this, when I walked up to you,” she admits, a little unnerved by how quickly this has become something like a date.

“Oh?” Adena asks, curious and chin resting in her hand.

“No, I just thought you were really attractive,” Kat laughs, opting for honesty, and Adena smiles at her.

Her face is more contemplative than anything else, gauging Kat’s reaction, when she says, “You should know that I’m not one for hook-ups.”

“I already figured that out,” she says, and Adena quirks her eyebrow. “I’ve given you like, at least two clear openings to leave this café with me that you swerved.”

Adena laughs and then bites her lip, looking in to Kat’s eyes, and  _god_  she’s so pretty that Kat just really wants to kiss her.

“So…what now?”

Adena asks it like she means it, like she’s truly open to possibility for whatever’s unfolding between them, and there’s something so disarming about it all.

Her phone screen lights up with another text from Jane out of the corner of her eye, also revealing the time and how late it is.

“Now…” she hums, holding Adena’s hand where it’s resting on their little table and giving her a flirtatious look. “Now I give you my number, and… I leave because I have an 8 AM meeting tomorrow. Aaand, you text me if you want to see me again.”

Adena looks into her eyes, making Kat swallow, then gives a little quirk of her lips and reaches in her bag for her phone.

“Okay.”

Kat doesn’t think about what this means right now, the implications of it all. Because she doesn’t date. She  _doesn’t_.

But this felt suspiciously like an impromptu date, and she’s sad that it’s over, and she’s already hoping that Adena follows through and texts her.

This doesn’t happen to her. Ever.

She knows she’s gonna have to talk to Jane and Sutton about it, and she’s already dreading their overdramatic excitement.

 

 

Adena gives Kat her number too, and then they’re standing outside of the café together. It feels weird, leaving like this. Do they just say bye and start walking in opposite directions? Do they hug?

Kat really wants to kiss her, and in any other situation the clear signs would be there for her to just go for it.

Adena holds her arms out for a hug and Kat follows her lead, sinking into her embrace. She feels warmth spread through her body at the intimate contact, at how good she feels even just like this. And when Adena starts to pull back, Kat looks into her eyes, decides to go for it and whispers—

“ _Can I kiss you?_ ”

She honestly doesn’t know what the answer is going to be. But then Adena is nodding, coy smile on her face when she leans in and Kat brings their lips together, cupping her face.

She feels her whole body react, because Adena kisses her more deeply than she expects, mouth relaxed as their lips glide together, and Kat grasps her waist. And then, just as she’s starting to get lost in the kiss, hands wandering her back, Adena pulls away, smiling and blinking up at her before she takes a step back.

“You don’t play fair,” Kat says, trying not to whine, and Adena’s eyes are sparkling when she gives her a knowing smile.

“Goodnight, Kat.”

“G’night, Adena.”

She’s still standing there, dazed from the kiss, when Adena smiles and walks away.


End file.
